"Must-Read Readings for Talented Scholars" is a reading guide selected and reviewed by Jin Shengtan, a famous literary critic in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. It brings together the literary classics that he considers most worthy of careful reading and appreciation by talented scholars. The book covers various genres such as poems, lyrics, essays, and operas, and the selected works are all the essence of literature from past dynasties, including famous works such as "Zhuangzi", "Du Shi", and "The Romance of the West Chamber", as well as his own "Talented Reading Method", which emphasizes reading with heart, reading with emotion, and understanding with talent. Jin Shengtan's sharp vision and unique comments run through the entire book. He is both a text selector and a critic. He advocates that literature and art should have both emotion and rationality, which is an important embodiment of the reading style of literati during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
